Suspension padding for lacrosse glove

ABSTRACT

A glove is provided and includes a wrist portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The hand portion includes a plurality of finger portions extending away from the wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than the palm portion. The glove also includes a padded panel attached to the back portion. The padded panel is attached to the back portion at a first edge and is attached to the back portion via a tether at a second edge.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a protective glove and more particularly to a protective glove for use during an athletic activity such as lacrosse or hockey.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Protective gloves are typically used in contact sports such as lacrosse and hockey to protect a player's hand and wrist from injuries caused by another player's stick. Such gloves are specifically designed to protect against injuries when the player is checked or slashed and, as a result, often include padding and other protective materials that surround an exterior portion of the glove.

While conventional protective gloves provide adequate protection during play, the padding and other protective materials that surround the exterior portion of the glove typically hinder the player's ability to bend or flex the player's hand and properly grasp a lacrosse or hockey stick.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In one configuration, a glove is provided and includes a wrist portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The hand portion includes a plurality of finger portions extending away from the wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than the palm portion. The glove also includes a padded panel attached to the back portion. The padded panel is attached to the back portion at a first edge and is attached to the back portion via a tether at a second edge.

In another configuration, a glove is provided and includes a wrist portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The hand portion includes a plurality of finger portions extending away from the wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than the palm portion. The glove also includes a padded panel attached to the back portion via a tether. The tether permits relative movement between the padded panel and the back portion and biases the padded panel toward and the wrist portion.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective glove in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 shown in a relaxed state;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 shown in a flexed state;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 shown in a relaxed state and taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 in a flexed state;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 shown in a relaxed state and taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 in a flexed state.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

With reference to the figures, a glove 10 is provided and includes a hand portion 12 and a wrist portion 14. The glove 10 may be worn by a lacrosse player or a hockey player to protect the player's hand and wrist. Namely, the hand portion 12 and the wrist portion 14 may cooperate to protect the player's hand and wrist from injuries caused by another player's stick while concurrently allowing the player to easily grasp a lacrosse stick (FIG. 3) or a hockey stick.

The hand portion 12 includes a palm portion 16, a thumb portion 18, a plurality of finger portions 20, and a back portion 22. The palm portion 16 is formed on an opposite side of the hand portion 12 than the back portion 22 and opposes a lacrosse stick 24 (FIG. 3), for example, during use. The palm portion 16 may be formed from a material having embedded rubber to increase friction between the hand portion 12 and the lacrosse stick 24, thereby allowing a player to firmly grasp the lacrosse stick 24. In addition, the palm portion 16 may include one or more gripping features 26 (FIG. 2) that further increase friction between the palm portion 16 and the lacrosse stick 24. Such gripping features 26 may be attached to the palm portion 16 via stitching and/or adhesive and may be formed from a combination of leather and rubber.

The thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 are sized and spaced apart from one another to properly receive the thumb and fingers of a player's hand. Each of the thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 extend in a direction generally away from the wrist portion 14 and cooperate with the back portion 22 to encircle the player's thumb and fingers during use.

The back portion 22 is formed on an opposite side of the hand portion 12 than the palm portion 16 and extends over the palm portion 16, the thumb portion 18, and the finger portions 20. The back portion 22 may be formed from a nylon mesh or other breathable material and may be attached to the wrist portion 14 proximate to a junction 28 of the hand portion 12 and the wrist portion 14.

The hand portion 12 additionally includes a padded portion 30 extending over and attached to the back portion 22. The padded portion 30 includes a series of padded segments 32 and a padded panel 34. The padded segments 32 each include an outer layer 36 that generally surrounds an inner, energy-absorbing pad or block 38. The outer layer 36 may be formed from virtually any material such as, for example, leather, nylon, polyester knit, and Lycra® and may surround the energy-absorbing pad 38 such that the energy-absorbing pad 38 is not visible once the outer layer 36 and the energy-absorbing pad 38 are attached to the back portion 22. The energy-absorbing pad 38 may be formed from any suitable energy-absorbing material such as, for example, foam.

In one configuration, the outer layer 36 is formed from polyurethane (PU) leather that is laminated to ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. The PU leather and the EVA foam are then compression molded to form an outer layer of the padded segments 32. The EVA foam provides the padded segments 32 with a degree of rigidity while the PU leather provides a desired aesthetic appearance. Further, compression molding the PU leather and EVA foam creates a molded skin of each padded segment 32 that has a cavity shaped to receive an energy-absorbing pad 38. The energy-absorbing pad 38 is inserted into the cavity and may be secured therein via a suitable adhesive. Once the energy-absorbing pad is received with in the cavity, the PU leather and EVA foam is wrapped around the energy-absorbing pad 38 and held in place via a suitable adhesive.

As described, the energy-absorbing pads 38 are constructed of individual, discrete foam blocks that are wrapped by the outer layer 36 and are attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 40. The stitching 40 may extend through a portion of the outer layer 36 (i.e., through the PU leather and the EVA foam) and into the back portion 22 to attach each of the energy-absorbing pads 38—via the outer layer 36—at a desired location along a longitudinal axis 42 (FIG. 1) of each of the finger portions 20 and, likewise, along a longitudinal axis 44 (FIG. 1) of the thumb portion 18.

With particular reference to FIGS. 4-6, the stitching 40 associated with each of the padded segments 32 is shown as extending along a first edge 46 and a second edge 48 of each padded segment 32. The first edge 46 and the second edge 48 are disposed on opposite sides of the padded segments 32 and each extend in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of each finger portion 20 and, likewise, extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18. The padded segments 32 additionally include a third edge 50 and a fourth edge 52 that are formed on opposite sides of the padded segments 32 and are each disposed substantially perpendicular to the first edge 46 and the second edge 48. Accordingly, the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 are formed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 42 of the finger portions 20 and are formed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18.

As shown in FIG. 4, only the first edge 46 and the second edge 48 are attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 40. The third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 are not attached to the back portion 22 and, as such, are spaced apart and separated from the back portion 22 by a gap 54. The gap 54 extends along a length of each padded segment 32 in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of the finger portions 20 and in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18 such that a back surface 56 of each padded segment 32 is spaced apart and separated from an outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 along the entire length of each padded segment 32.

The back surface 56 of the padded segments 32 includes a joint between respective ends of the PU leather and EVA foam of the outer layer 36 caused by wrapping the outer layer 36 around each energy-absorbing pad 38. The joint is therefore disposed within the gap 54 and opposes the outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 to hide the joint from view once the padded segments 32 are attached to the back portion 22.

The gap 54 created between the back surface 56 of the padded segments 32 and the outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 is accessible at each of the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52, as the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 are not attached to the back portion 22. Accordingly, a passageway 60 extends along a length of each padded segment 32 in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of each finger portion 20 and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18 and is accessible at each of the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52.

The passageway 60 is defined generally between the back surface 56 of each padded segment 32 and the outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 and is bounded by the first edge 46 and the second edge 48. Namely, because the first edge 46 and the second edge 48 are attached to the back portion 22 along a length of each padded segment 32 via the stitching 40, the passageway 60 is bounded by the first edge 46 and the second edge 48. In short, the size and shape of the passageway 60 is defined by attachment of the first edge 46 and the second edge 48 to the back portion 22 via the stitching 40, as well as by the opposing surfaces 56, 58 of the padded segments 32 and the back portion 22, respectively.

Attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 at only two edges (i.e., the first edge 46 and the second edge 48) while allowing the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 to be detached from the back portion 22 provides the thumb portion 18 and each finger portion 20 with increased flexibility, thereby allowing a player to more easily grasp a lacrosse stick 24, for example. Further, attaching the padded segments 32 individually to the back portion 22 at the first edge 46 and at the second edge 48 allows each padded segment 32 to be individually attached to the back portion 22 separate and apart from adjacent padded segments 32. Attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 independent from adjacent padded segments 32 additionally increases the flexibility of the thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 as adjacent padded segments 32 do not hinder movement of one another. Finally, attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 independent from one another allows adjacent padded segments 32 to be spaced apart and separated from one another, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

With particular reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the padded panel 34 is shown to include a substantially T-shape having a plurality of padded portions 62 and a tether 64. The padded portions 62 each include an outer layer 66 that covers an energy-absorbing pad 68. A bottom layer 70 is attached to the outer layer 66 via stitching 72 (FIGS. 7 and 8) to create a series of pockets 74 in which the energy-absorbing pads 68 are disposed.

As with the padded segments 32, the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 may be formed from virtually any material such as, for example, leather, nylon, polyester knit, and Lycra®, to provide the padded segments 32 with a desired aesthetic appearance. Further, the energy-absorbing pads 68 may be formed from virtually any energy-absorbing material such as, for example, foam.

The padded panel 34 may be attached at a first end 76 to the back portion 22 proximate to a base of the finger portions 20 via stitching 78. The stitching 78 extends through the outer layer 66, the bottom layer 70, and the back portion 22 to attach the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 to the back portion 22. Because the energy-absorbing pads 68 are disposed within the pockets 74 and are attached to the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 via the pockets 74, the stitching 78 likewise serves to attach the energy-absorbing pads 68 to the back portion 22 via the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70.

The padded panel 34 is attached to the back portion 22 at a second end 80, opposite the first end 76, via the tether 64 to allow the padded panel 34 to move between a relaxed state (FIG. 7) and a flexed state (FIG. 8) relative to the back portion 22. When the padded panel 34 is in the relaxed state, the second end 80 is disposed in proximity to the wrist portion 14. Conversely, when the padded panel 34 is in the flexed state, the padded panel 34 is moved in a direction away from the wrist portion 14. While the padded portion 30 is described and shown as including a padded panel 34 having a single tether 64, the padded panel 34 could be attached to the back portion 22 by more than one tether 64. Further, the padded panel 34 could include separate movable segments (not shown) that are individually attached to the back portion 22 via separate tethers 64.

The tether 64 may be formed from a material that biases the padded panel 34 into the relaxed state such as, for example, elastic. While the material of the tether 64 biases the padded panel 34 into the relaxed state, the material also permits movement of the padded panel 34 from the relaxed state and into the flexed state as the player moves the hand portion 12 between a relaxed state (FIG. 2) and a flexed state (FIG. 3) when grasping a lacrosse stick 24, for example. The tether 64 may be attached to the second end 80 of the padded panel 34 via stitching 82 and may likewise be attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 84.

In operation, when the hand portion 12 is in the relaxed state (FIG. 2), the tether 64 is likewise in a relaxed state and biases the padded panel 34 into a position substantially parallel to the back portion 22 (FIG. 7). When a force is exerted on the padded panel 34 when the hand portion 12 is moved into the flexed state (FIG. 3), a force is applied on the tether 64. The force causes the tether 64 to expand, which allows the padded panel 34 to likewise move into the flexed state (FIG. 8) to take the shape of the back portion 22 when the hand portion 12 is moved into the flexed state. In other words, when the back portion 22 is moved into a substantially arc shape caused by the hand portion 12 being moved from the relaxed state to the flexed state, the padded panel 34 is likewise permitted to take a substantially arc shape, as the tether permits movement of the padded panel 34 in a direction substantially away from the wrist portion 14. The padded panel 34 is therefore allowed to conform to the shape of the player's hand when the player moves the hand portion 12 into the flexed state when grasping a lacrosse stick 24, for example.

The padded panel 34 is further allowed to move into the shape shown in FIG. 8 due to the individual padded portions 62. Namely, because the energy-absorbing pads 68 are received within discrete pockets 74, gaps 86 are formed between adjacent padded portions 62 that provide the padded panel 34 with additional flexibility when the hand portion 12 is moved from the relaxed state into the flexed state.

When the force applied to the hand portion 12 is relaxed and the hand portion 12 is moved from the flexed state to the relaxed state, the tether 64 applies a force on the padded panel 34, thereby returning the padded panel 34 to the position shown in FIG. 7 due to the elastic nature of the tether 64. Accordingly, the tether 64 acts to return the padded panel 34 to a position substantially adjacent to the back portion 22 when the hand portion 12 is returned to the relaxed state.

As shown in FIG. 1, the padded panel 34 is disposed generally between the finger portions 20 of the hand portion 12 and the wrist portion 14. Accordingly, the padded panel 34 extends substantially over a back portion of a player's hand to protect the player's hand from injury during use.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A glove comprising: a wrist portion; a hand portion attached to said wrist portion and including a plurality of finger portions extending away from said wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than said palm portion; and a padded panel attached to said back portion, said padded panel attached to said back portion at a first edge and attached to said back portion via a tether at a second edge.
 2. The glove of claim 1, wherein said first edge is formed on an opposite side of said padded panel than said second edge.
 3. The glove of claim 2, wherein said second edge is disposed closer to said wrist portion than said first edge.
 4. The glove of claim 3, wherein said second edge is selectively movable relative to said back portion to allow said second edge to move toward and away from said wrist portion.
 5. The glove of claim 4, wherein said tether permits movement of said second edge toward and away from said wrist portion.
 6. The glove of claim 1, wherein said tether is movable between a relaxed state and an expanded state to allow relative movement between said second edge and said wrist portion.
 7. The glove of claim 6, wherein said tether biases said second edge toward said wrist portion.
 8. The glove of claim 6, wherein said tether is formed from elastic.
 9. The glove of claim 1, wherein said tether is formed from elastic and permits relative movement between said second edge and said back portion.
 10. The glove of claim 9, wherein said tether biases said second edge toward said wrist portion.
 11. The glove of claim 1, wherein said padded panel includes a substantially T-shape.
 12. A glove comprising: a wrist portion; a hand portion attached to said wrist portion and including a plurality of finger portions extending away from said wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than said palm portion; and a padded panel attached to said back portion via a tether, said tether permitting relative movement between said padded panel and said back portion and biasing said padded panel toward and said wrist portion.
 13. The glove of claim 12, wherein said padded panel includes a first edge formed on an opposite side of said padded panel than a second edge.
 14. The glove of claim 13, wherein said second edge is disposed closer to said wrist portion than said first edge.
 15. The glove of claim 13, wherein said second edge is selectively movable relative to said back portion to allow said second edge to move toward and away from said wrist portion.
 16. The glove of claim 13, wherein said first edge is stitched to said back portion and said second edge is stitched to said tether.
 17. The glove of claim 16, wherein said first panel is attached to said back portion proximate to a base of said finger portions.
 18. The glove of claim 16, wherein said tether is formed from elastic.
 19. The glove of claim 12, wherein said padded panel includes a substantially T-shape.
 20. The glove of claim 12, wherein said tether is formed from elastic. 